MG/MS virus...... info added that may help people diagnose their birds

With all the diseases seemingly popping up everywhere and such, I have read about MG & MS in some of the postings. I have read that about 5% chances of it being transfer through the egg, but that Tylan or heat expose, it can possible stop it from developing etc.. Then I read other things and I'm confused..... What are the chances of getting or passing MG through hatching eggs? Many people do not know their birds even have the virus unless, one gets sick, or you test every bird on your property, ever year, every knew bird or chick etc... or even wild birds? But that is hard to do, and even healthy looking birds may have it w/o showing it................ then other illness seem to piggy back on the original symptoms of MG. It's all confusing and even the best Q measures can be misleading as the bird may seem fine for an infinite amounts of time. I have been thinking about vaccinating my flock, just incase but find that the vaccine available for sale to the average chicken raiser is only to prevent egg loss and subdue symptoms of MG, not help prevent it. So what is a chicken person to do????????
They need to make a test for MG like for heartworms in dogs. That way if you go to buy birds you could prick them, put it in the snap test and wait a few for results......

Actually, it sounds like you have a pretty good handle on MG. It is one reason commercial producers sometimes don't like backyard chickens. Unless you keep your poultry up in screened housing, MG is always a possibility, even then its possible. Free ranging is one of the best ways to pick it up, as is swapping chickens with other folks. A large percentage of us probably have it without realizing it. It is a very difficult personal decision whether to test for it. Large commercial enterprises can "all in all out" and sanitize between flocks. You can bet all the chickens at the Ohio National were not tested for MG, So what are the chances of exposure when you have 5800+ birds? Can't win for losing.

What is MG?

Mycoplasm gallisepticum a nightmare for all poultry owners. Read about it here.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/203402.htm

You can also do a search for MG, there is a lot of information on it.

Yeah, the info in all the publications seems very repetitive... I was hoping to find some new info. I was wondering if you misted shipped eggs with Tylan etc. before you put them in the bator, and it absorbed into the egg if it would help cut down on the risk. It mentions it briefly in a publication, but not amount of, how to or how well.......

I keep seeing more and more people mention about a cough, or runny nose, sneezing ,a bubbly or swollen mucus y eye in their birds, which all point in the way of MG or Corzya, or both, which seems to be happening more and more......

This is what was sent to me when I inquired about it in our state....


Mycoplasma gallisepticum


Synonyms: MG, chronic respiratory disease (CRD), infectious sinusitis, mycoplasmosis

Species affected: chickens, turkeys, pigeons, ducks, peafowl and passerine birds.

Clinical signs: Clinical symptoms vary slightly between species. Infected adult chickens may show no outward signs if infection is uncomplicated. However, sticky, serous exudate from nostrils, foamy exudate in eyes, and swollen sinuses can occur, especially in broilers. The air sacs may become infected. Infected birds can develop respiratory rales and sneeze. Affected birds are often stunted and unthrifty (see Table 1 <http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044#TABLE_1> ).

There are two forms of this disease in the turkey. With the "upper form" the birds have watery eyes and nostrils, the infraorbitals (just below the eye) become swollen, and the exudate becomes caseous and firm. The birds have respiratory rales and show unthriftiness.

With the "lower form", infected turkeys develop airsacculitis. As with chickens, birds can show no outward signs if the infection is uncomplicated. Thus, the condition may go unnoticed until the birds are slaughtered and the typical legions are seen. Birds with airsacculitis are condemned.

MG in chicken embryos can cause dwarfing, airsacculitis, and death.

Transmission: MG can be spread to offspring through the egg. Most commercial breeding flocks, however, are MG-free. Introduction of infected replacement birds can introduce the disease to MG-negative flocks. MG can also be spread by using MG-contaminated equipment.

Treatment : Outbreaks of MG can be controlled with the use of antibiotics. Erythromycin, tylosin, spectinomycin, and lincomycin all exhibit anti-mycoplasma activity and have given good results. Administration of most of these antibiotics can be by feed, water or injection. These are effective in reducing clinical disease. However, birds remain carriers for life.

Prevention: Eradication is the best control of mycoplasma disease. The National Poultry Improvement Plan monitors all participating chicken and turkey breeder flocks.


Mycoplasma synoviae


Synonyms: MS, infectious synovitis, synovitis, silent air sac

Species affected: chickens and turkeys.

Clinical signs: Birds infected with the synovitis form show lameness, followed by lethargy, reluctance to move, swollen joints, stilted gait, loss of weight, and formation of breast blisters. Birds infected with the respiratory form exhibit respiratory distress. Greenish diarrhea is common in dying birds (see Table 1 <http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044#TABLE_1> ). Clinically, the disease in indistinguishable from MG.

Transmission: MS is transmitted from infected breeder to progeny via the egg. Within a flock, MS is spread by direct contact with infected birds as well as through airborne particles over short distances.

Treatment: Recovery is slow for both respiratory and synovitis forms. Several antibiotics are variably effective. The most effective are tylosin, erthromycin, spectinomycin, lincomycin, and chlorotectracycline. These antibiotics can be given by injection while some can be administered in the feed or drinking water. These treatments are most effective when the antibiotics are injected.

Prevention: Eradication is the best and only sure control. Do not use breeder replacements from flocks that have had MS. The National Poultry Improvement Plan monitors for MS.

Just so that I understand - Is or should MG be a death sentence for a flock? If you have a chicken(s) that may have MG, should you cull the whole flock and start over - or is it just something you have to live with?

There is much debate over this. Birds may have MG and never show it until they are stressed. If you cull the sick chicken it stops it from spreading it to another, but unless you have all birds tested you never know who has it or who doesn't. If you cull your whole flock, which commercial laying businesses may do, you don't know if the hatchery or breeder that you restock from has clean birds......... wild birds also carry it.............

I think the average poultry breeder should just breed for resistance and do their best to keep their flock stress free and quarantine, avoid needless exposures. I think most people have one or more birds who are carreirs.

one thing i don't know and have wondered, if a bird was asymptomatic carrier, is it less likey to pass through the egg than a bird showing symptoms? My wild guesser part of my brain thinks that if a bird is asymptomatic at a given time, it would be shedding fewer viruses, but was wondering if anyone knew a difinitive answer.

Mycoplasma synoviae
Clinical signs: Birds infected with the synovitis form show lameness, followed by lethargy, reluctance to move, swollen joints, stilted gait, loss of weight, and formation of breast blisters. Greenish diarrhea is common in dying birds



Yikes! These are the exact symptoms my little Jade exhibited before she died. The other 3 girls are all still fine, and show no symptoms. Jade died 3 days ago, after being sick for about 2 weeks. The 3 healthy girls came from MPC, the one that died came from a local farm. Do I need to be worried about my remaining chickens? Is there something I need to do to the coop and run besides my regular cleaning? I am getting ready to hatch- is this something that can remain in the environment to infect others at a later date? Sheesh... one thing after another!